2000
#13,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,010
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Wasser
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked with water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,119 Americans carry the last name Wasser. That puts it at #15,291 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,753 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wasser surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,753
Census rank
#15,291
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,848 bearers of the surname Wasser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15291st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wasser
The surname Wasser is of German origin, derived from the German word "wasser," which means "water." This surname likely originated during the Middle Ages, possibly as early as the 11th or 12th century.
The name Wasser was likely first adopted by individuals who lived near a body of water, such as a river, lake, or stream. It may have been used as a descriptive surname to identify someone who lived near a specific water source or worked in a water-related occupation, such as a fisherman or a miller.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Wasser can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Silesiae," a collection of historical documents from the region of Silesia, which is now part of Poland and Germany. The name appears in a document dated 1292, referring to a person named "Henricus Wasser."
In the 14th century, the name Wasser appears in various records from the region of Saxony, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. One notable individual was Johann Wasser, a merchant who lived in the city of Leipzig in the late 1300s.
During the Renaissance period, the name Wasser gained prominence in the arts and sciences. Hans Wasser (1492-1556) was a German painter and printmaker known for his religious works and portraits. He was particularly renowned for his woodcuts and engravings.
In the 17th century, Friedrich Wasser (1610-1677) was a German astronomer and mathematician. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and planetary motion, and his work was influential in the development of modern astronomy.
Another notable figure was Johann Philipp Wasser (1742-1805), a German composer and violinist. He was a prominent figure in the classical music scene of his time and composed numerous works for violin and orchestra.
During the 19th century, the surname Wasser continued to be found throughout Germany and other German-speaking regions. One notable individual was Karl Wasser (1812-1887), a German philosopher and writer who was known for his works on ethics and social reform.
Throughout history, the surname Wasser has been found in various spellings, such as Wasser, Wasser, Wasser, and Wasserr, reflecting regional variations and linguistic changes over time. However, the core meaning of the name, derived from the German word for "water," has remained consistent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wasser
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Wasser bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Wasser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 1,710
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 69
- Two or more races2.4% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 18
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wasser
Wasser appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,099
+89 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 462 places
2020
#15,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,848
-251 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 1,023 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,806 | 2,010 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,268 | 2,099 | 0.71 | +89 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 462 places |
| 2020 | #15,291 | 1,848 | 0.62 | -251 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 1,023 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Wasser surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,268 | #15,291 | -7.2% |
| Count | 2,099 | 1,848 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.62 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wasser bearers went from 2,099 to 1,848 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 1,023 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,268 to #15,291.
FAQ
Wasser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wasser?
Name Census estimates that about 2,119 living Americans carry the surname Wasser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,753 residents.
How common is Wasser?
Wasser ranks #15,291 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,848 people with the surname Wasser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wasser.
Has Wasser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wasser went from 2,099 recorded bearers to 1,848. That is a decrease of 251 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,268 to #15,291.
What does the Census say about the background of Wasser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Wasser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (1,710 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wasser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Wasser (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Wasser mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked with water. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Wasser (0.62 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Wasser?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Wasser on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.